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Studies & Degrees in Telecommunication Systems Engineering

Telecommunication systems engineering is the branch of telecommunications that deals with how signals are transmitted: radio links, mobile and fixed networks, optical fibre, broadcasting and the signal processing behind them. In Spain it is one of the four specific technologies of the bachelor's degree that gives access to the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación. The other three are telematics, electronic systems, and sound and image.

The ministerial order that sets the requirements for these degrees (Orden CIN/352/2009) describes the speciality from the point of view of transmission systems. Graduates must be able to build, operate and manage telecommunication networks and services in fixed and mobile environments, at local or long distance and with different bandwidths, including telephony, radio broadcasting, television and data. The order also names the management of the radio spectrum and the allocation of frequencies, and the ability to analyse, encode, process and transmit multimedia information with analogue and digital signal processing techniques. La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull lists the technologies its students work with: mobile and fixed telephony services, wired and wireless computer networks, broadcasting systems and interactive television distribution networks, optical fibre networks and geolocation systems.

Qualifications and levels

  • Bachelor's degree (grado) in Spain. The degrees that qualify for the profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación have 240 ECTS credits: 60 of basic training, 60 common to the telecommunication branch, a complete block of 48 credits in one specific technology and a final degree project of 12 credits. The rest is set by each university. The official names vary. La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona offers the Grado en Ingeniería de Sistemas de Telecomunicación, an official on-campus degree of four years and 240 ECTS taught in Catalan, Spanish and English. Universidad CEU San Pablo in Madrid lists a Grado en Ingeniería de Sistemas de Telecomunicación taught on campus in Spanish, with a September 2027 intake. The Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) teaches a Grado en Ingeniería de Tecnologías de Telecomunicación of 240 ECTS over four years, in Spanish, on its Murcia campus.
  • Master's degree in Spain. The profession of Ingeniero de Telecomunicación is also regulated and requires an official master's degree (Orden CIN/355/2009). Bachelor's and master's studies together must total at least 300 ECTS credits, and the master's itself does not exceed 120.
  • Latin America. The usual name is Ingeniería de Telecomunicaciones, and programmes are measured in semesters. The Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín offers Ingeniería de Telecomunicaciones in two modes, virtual and on campus, with a length of 10 semesters.
  • Doctorate. In the Spanish system, bachelor's degrees of 240 credits and master's degrees of 60, 90 or 120 credits lead to doctoral studies for those who want a research career.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for telecommunication systems engineering: 8 in Spain, 1 in the United States, 1 in Mexico and 1 in Colombia. The Spanish schools listed for this subject include the Universidad de Valladolid, the Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Mondragon Unibertsitatea and Universidad Europea de Madrid.

Spanish is the main language of instruction in Spain and Latin America. Some universities add other languages: La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull lists Catalan, Spanish and English for its degree. Students who want to work as telecommunication engineers in Spain should check that the degree they choose is an official one that qualifies for the regulated profession, and which specific technology it covers, since universities group the four technologies in different ways.

Careers

Graduates work for network operators, equipment manufacturers, broadcasters, engineering consultancies and public administrations, on tasks such as planning mobile and fibre networks, radio-frequency design, satellite and broadcasting systems, and signal processing. In Spain the bachelor's degree gives access to the profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación and the master's degree to that of Ingeniero de Telecomunicación.

Official statistics rarely count telecommunication engineers separately. In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) includes them among electrical and electronics engineers, who design, develop and test electrical and electronic equipment, components and systems. That group held 297,900 jobs in 2025, typically requires a bachelor's degree for entry, and is projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 16,300 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a telecommunication systems engineering degree take in Spain?

Four years. The bachelor's degrees that qualify for the profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación have 240 ECTS credits.

What is the difference between telecommunication systems and telematics?

Both are specific technologies of the same Spanish degree. Telecommunication systems looks at networks from the point of view of transmission: radio, spectrum, signal processing. Telematics looks at them from the point of view of network services, switching, routing and security.

Do I need a master's degree to work as a telecommunication engineer in Spain?

The bachelor's degree gives access to the regulated profession of Ingeniero Técnico de Telecomunicación. The profession of Ingeniero de Telecomunicación requires an official master's degree, with at least 300 ECTS credits between bachelor's and master's studies.

In which language is the degree taught?

Mostly in Spanish in Spain and Latin America. Some universities also teach in other languages; La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull, for example, lists Catalan, Spanish and English.